Wheat cleaner



Jan, 9, 1923 J. LANDRlCH|NGER- WHEAT CEEANER.

FILED JUL.Y 23,1921.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I.

amuv/wkom FILED JULY 23,1921- 6 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Simona Iva J. LANDRICHINGER.

WHEAT CLEANER.

FILED JULY 23,1921. 6 SHEETS-SHEET a.

J Amid/72% m Jan. 9, 1923..

J. LANDfiICHINGER. WHEAT CLEANER. FILED JULY 2311921.

6 $HEETS-SHEET 4.

Jain. 9, 1923., V 1 1,411,812..

1. LANDRICHINGERH WHEAT CLEANER. FILED JULY 23,1921- 6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

Jan, 9,1923,

J. LANDRICHINGER.

WHEAT CLEANER.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

FILED JULY 23,192I- imme/wh s lf ntented militant tilt than JOHN LANDRIGHINGER, 01 BAUXITE, ARKANSAS.

WHEA'II' CLEANER.

Application filed July 23, 1921.. Serial lilo. 156,972.

1 o (AZ! whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, Jenn LANmner-ti'n'onn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bauxite, in the county of Saline and citate of llrl'kttl'lSilS, have invented cer" tain new and useful. Improvements in Wheat Cleaners, of which thefollowing is a specifi cation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

Clhis invention relates to machines for cleaning and separating? wheat, and particularly to that class of machines wherein the wheat is subjected to the action of an agitator or heater to detach the outer coating of the wheatand is then subjected to the action of a blast of air and to a screening action whereby to separate the chaff from the wheat and the bran therefrom.

The general object of my invention is to provide a machine of this character wherein the wheat is subjected. to one continuous action from start to finish, tending to the do tar-lament of the chaff and to the detacln'i'ient and Hparation of the bran from the wheat, and whereby the normal wheat is separated from the very iine grains, the ordinary Wheat then being; sent to the burrs, the bad Wheat being separated at this pointfrom the good wheat i i it further object to provide a eol'lstrl'lction of this kind wherein the wheat, after being subjected to the action of a heater and being); dehulled and the bran and other foreign substances separated therefrom, passes down onto a foraminous separator, through which passes a blast of air drawing off from the se iarator the bran, dust and other foreign substances and leaving the good wheat. to travel along the separator to the point of eventual discharge, the small and faulty ends of the wheat grains dropping; through the separator and being eventually dis chargretl therefrom, thus thoroughly cleaningthe wheat so that. while the wheat is travelling;- along' the separator it is submitted to the action of a blast of air which carries off the dust, dirt, chaff and other forcigz n matter and at the same time the small ends of the wheat orci.'eam of wheat dropping through the separator and thus being Heilnl'flfttl from the good wheat Another object to provide a construc tion of this kind which is compact, may be operated with a relatively small amount of power, and which is thoroughly effective for the purpose intended.

Still another object is to provide means whereby the air suction may be regulatably controlled. y

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whcreinz- Figure ris a side elevation. of a wheat cleaning and separating machine construct ed in accordance with my invention,one end of the machine being brolren'awa l igurejQis an end view of the machine;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof;

Figure Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail View of the manner in which the flannel web 45 is plaited} Figure 6 is an end view of the machine withthe trunk 35 removed;

Figure 7 is an inside face view of the trunk 35;

Figure 8 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view through the machine taken on a plane just below the partitions 4:0, the separator being partly broken away;

Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the main frame and the separater supporting fraine, showing the manner in which the separator supporting frame is mounted for adjustment;

lligure 10 is a section on the line 10l0 of Figure 9. f

Referring to these drawings, and particularly to il igure 1, it will be seen that my wheat separator comprises an outer casing; 10 having supporting legs 11 which form 4 is a section on the line 4 4: of

part of the frameof the casing and having bearings 12 for the support of a beater shaft 13 at'lts upper end. Extending along the bottom of the casing and supported by the legs 11 is a trough-shaped conveyor chute 1.4L within which operates a screw conveyor 15, the trough ll: in which the screw conveyor operates being provided at its discharge end with a discharge opening 15". The screw conveyor is mounted upon a shaft 16 carrying a beveledgear wheel 1.7 meshinn with a beveled gear wheel 18 mounted upon a transverse shaft 19 supported in suitable bearings at one end of the machine.

Mounted upon the frame of the machine within the casing Ill) and disposed at the rear of the nni chiue is a cylindrical beatingcha1nber 20 which may be of thin sheet metal, and the interior face of this chamber is transve'sely eorrugntted. 'llhe innerfaee of the chamber is lined with alining 21 which is preferably formed of artificial, stone-like material, in which emery or material. of the same character is predominant so that the lining of the interior of the chamber 20 is rough as well as corrugated. It will be understood that the thin sheet metal from which the chamber is made need not be corrugated itself but that the material 21 is to be formed with corrugations.

The shaft 18 extends into the chamber, and mounted upon the shaft is a beater consisting of the longitudinally extending blades 22 and the radial arms 23 extending from the shaft and supporting these blades. Of course, suitable bearings are provided for the shaft. There is an entrance opening 24 at the forward end of the chamber 20 and at the upper portion of this chamber this ontrance opening communicates withan upwardl and forwardl extendin chute Y Y s whereby the wheat is discharged into the chamber. The forward end wall of the chamber is also provided with an auxiliary or supplemental discharge opening 26 acting as a wheat escape when the beater chamber 20 is clogged. At the rear end of the chamber 20 there is a discharge opening 27 opening into a vertical chute 28 which, at its lower end, has a discharge opening provided with a door or valve 29.

Forward of the beater chamber 20 there is disposed a suction fan chamber 30 within which is disposed a suction fan 31 inoimted upon a transverse shaft 32. This fan may be of any suitable character but is illustrated as provided with radially extendingblades. The exterior end of this shaft is provided with a pulley 33 whereby the fan may be driven. This fan takes in air through the machine and discharges air upward through a port 34 which opens from one end of the machine. One end'of the fan chamber 30 formed by the upwardly extending front wall 35 of the machine. Disposed below the beater chamber 20 andthe fan chamber 30 and spaced from the bottoms of these chant bers are a plurality of compartments 3G, 38 and 39 which may be of any desired number, these compartments being divided from each other by transverse partitions 40. The lower edges of the partitions 40 are upwardly and medially inclined, (Figure 4) and disposed below these partitions 40 and extending longitudinally beneath all of the compartments 36, 37, 38 and 39 are a series of transversely extending troughs or ducts 41 which are U-shaped in cross section and preferably made of sheet metal, these troug extending upward toward the medial line of the machine from both sides, as shown in the sectional view in Figure 4. These troor ducts 41 are spaced from each other. ing spaces 42 between the ducts, and at their lower ends discharge into longitudinally ex tending, lateral troughs 43. The troughs 43 and the ducts 41 are made substantially inrugral with each other and as one element and are flexibly supported, on the sides by webs of textile material 44 which are attai alnj-d at their upper edges to the side walls of: the machine and at their lower edges are attached to the outer walls of the troughs id. and attached to the partitions 4b and. ex-- tending downward in close proximity to the ducts 41 are transverse cloth strips 45 which may be attached at their lower edges to thc flanges of the adjacent duct 41. Thus the structure comprising the ducts 4'1 and the troughs 43 is flexibly supported so that it may be oscillated or jarred. Preferalfily the strips of Cloth .14 and 45 will be of material on the order of canton-flannel with a relatively long nap and plaited, as in Figure 5.

The agitator structure composed of the ducts 41 and the troughs 43 is formed below the ducts 41 with guides 46, on which guides is supported a longitudinally extending. drawer-like separator 47. This consists of a rectangular frame, the upper face of which is covered with perforated sheet metal 49. while the lower face is formed of a per-- forated metal sheet 49. This wri'orated metal sheet 49 terminates short of the forward end of the frame 47 and is attached to a transverse cross bar 50. The agitator 47 is divided transversely and longitudinally by a plurality of partitions 51. The transverse partitions 51 extend downward from the screen 48 but do not reach the perforated metal 49 so that a space 52 is left between llulower edges of the transverse partitions :ii and the perforated metal 48. In each of th compartments 53 formed by the HH'lIlilUHH 51 there is disposed a plurality, nre'l'erablv two, rubber balls 54 which in actual practice will beabout 1}" in diameter and will rest upon the perforated metal sheet 49. lhcse balls, it will be understood. do not till the compartment 53 but are spaced a sullicicnt distance from each other so that the balls will oscillate as the separator 47 is reciprocated. The wheat which is delivered from the duct or chute 28 onto this separator plate 48 at the rear end thereof is gradually worked forward until the wheat is eventually discharged dmvnward from the forward end of the separator which lll'tljUlH into the trunk 35. The rubber balls in the several compartments keep the per orated plates of the separator from choking as the wheat passes over the plates so that the air blast can pass through the fin'aniinous plates and thereb separate the foreign limiters from the wheat these rubber balls moving I around in the small compartments :nn heating and striking against the upper screen i and the lower screen preventing the when. from sticking in the perforations. "which would prevent the air from passing freely lit) 76 upon the exterior of the trunk on each side thereof. Between the end wall of the trunk 35 and the wall 74 an air space 77 is formed, the passage of air through this space being controlled by a valve 78 mounted upon a spindle 79, one outer end of which is provided with a handle 80 whereby the valve may be shifted. Between the partitions 73 and the side walls of the trunk and disposed on a line with the lower end of the partition 74 are horizontal partitions 81. Spaced from the walls 75 is a vertically extending partition 82 and be tween the partitions 73 and the side walls of the trunk and spaced from the horizontal partitions 81 are the vertical partitions 33 which extend downward to the lower end of the trunk. A space 84 is thus left between the partitions 74 and 82 into which the discharge end of the separator 47 extends, this separator 47 discharging for ward of the partition 82. A chute 85 receives the wheat discharged from the separator and conducts it out of the lower end of the trunk. The channels or troughs 43 discharge into the spaces 86 and into vertically extending spouts 87 discharging at the lower end of the machine. Preferably the trunk from a point in front of the space 84 to a point above the chute 85 is provided with a door 88 having a glass pane whereby the wheat being discharged from the separater may be observed, and this door is also provided with two small glass panes 89 opposite the spaces 86 from which the discharge of bran may be observed. It will be noted that the outer wall of the chamber 30 projects into the upper end of the trunk 35 and opens into this trunk. Thus it will be seen that the suction fan 31 acts to draw air upward from the space between the partition 74 and the front wall of the trunk and also acts to draw air through the ducts 61 and that this air is regulated and controlled by means of. the valves 62 and of the valve 78.

The machine is driven preferably by power, and to this end power may be communicated to the shaft 13 by means of a pulley 90. From this shaft 13 power is taken by means of the pulley 91 and belt 92 to a. pulley 93 mounted upon the shaft 56. This shaft carries upon it a pulley 94 from which belt leads to a pulley 95 mounted upon the shaft 19. The fan 31 is operated by means of a belt 96 engaging a pulley 97 on the shaft 56, and the pulley 33 on the fan shaft. Obviously I do not wish to be limited to any particular means. how ever, for driving these shafts.

The general maeration of my mechanism is as follows :The wheatto be treated is fed into the hopper 25 and discharges into the cylinder :23 where it is violently agitated, stirred up and beaten by the rotating heaters therein and subjected to a scouring action by contact with the rough, corrugated, inner surface of the casing. in this chamber the wheat is dehulled and the grain separated from the bran and other foreign substances and the wheat travels gradually from the inlet end of the casing to the out let thereof and is discharged downward through the duct 27 onto the separator plate 48. The wheat travels along the separator plate and is at this time exposed to the air blast which comes from below up through the perforations in the plates or screens of the separator and this air blast effects the cleaning. As the wheat passes over lhc per forated plate 43 the small or line wheat and the ends of the wheat grains or screenings drop through the perforations in the separator and are deposited in trough 14. The good wheat or ordinary sized wheat travels over the screen of the separator and the suction of the air passing upward through they separator carries the bran, chail, dirt and other foreign matters into the compartments 36, 37, 38 and 39. Here the chaff and bran fall downward onto the inclined ducts 4'1. and pass down these ducts into the channel or chute 43. The wires 98 keep the machine from getting clogged up or choking and cause the wheat to move on as the parts are oscillated. The dust, chaff, etc, are drawn upward by suction and discharged into the wind trunk (30. from whence they are car ried through the trunk (35 and out through the discharge opening 34. The object of valves 62 is to regulate the air :lccm'ding to whether the wheat is (lamp or dry so lhzu proper air suction can be had.

As the wheat is discharged into the trunk 35 it is subjected. to air which rushes upward to the fans, and any faulty wheat, that is screenings, which may have accompmiiml the good wheat is carried upward and against the valve 78 which constitutes a dr ller-tor and then falls downward upon the inclined chute 75 and is discharged through the spouts 76. The bran is caught in the series of downwardly inclined ducts 41 and discharged into the channels 43, from which channels or troughs the bran is discharged into the downwardly extending spouts ST. The fine wheat, as before stated, is discharged into the trough l4 and carried by the conveyor 15 to the end of the trough where it discharges downward to a lower fioor to be further treated. The chaff. dust and other foreign matter. as hef ore stated. is drawn upward through the duels (i1. and discharged out through the owning 1H ol' the fan chamber 30. This machine completely scours and cleans the wheat prior lo the passage of the wheat to be ground. fully separates the normal wheat from grains of wry small size and from faulty wheat and from bran so that the faulty wheat is caught sep flll lllll lllii llU llll

i 5 ti up or blocked.

This machine has many advantages over other machines lrnown to me, particularly in that it is a combination of two machines in one. This machine detaches the chafl' and bran from the wheat and prepares the wheat ready so that it canv be ground into flour. The bran is also cleaned ready for use and no dust is left in the bran, as this is forced out by the air blast. Eihould there be any cats or rye in the wheat, this machine sop arates it out. This machine :l.urther treats the wheat by breaking or taking oil? .in some way the ends of the grain which are unfit to be ground into flour.

While l have illustrated. what it have found to be a thoroughly effective form of my invention, yet It do not wish to he lino ited thereto, as it is obvious that many changes might be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit oi the invention.

1. In a wheat cleaner, a reciprocatable, horizontally disposed, foraminous separator upon which the wheat to be cleaned is discharged, a. casing formed to provide a plu rality of compartments above the separator, air suction means, and a plurality of ducts leading one from each compartment to the air suction. means, each duct having a length equal to the width of the compartment but having a small width relative to the length of the compartment.

2. In a wheat cleaner, a reciprocatable, horizontally disposed, foraminous separator upon which the wheat to be cleaned is dis charged, a casing formed to provide a plurality oi. con'rpartments above the separator, air suction means, andv a plurality oi. ducts leading from the upper ends of the several.

compartments to the air suction means, each or? said ducts extending transversely across the entire width of the compartment, each duct having a Width small relative to the length oil? the compartment and being pro vided with a valve disposed adjacent the entrance oi? the duct whereby to control the air current passing up through the separator.

3. in a wheat cleaner, a reciprocating, horizontally disposed foraminous separator,

a plurality of transversely extending chutes inountedin spaced relation above the sepa rator, laterally disposed troughs mounted in connection with the separator and into which the chutes discharge, means for giving a coniunon reciprocating motion to the troughs.

chutes and separator, a compartment of which the separator and. the laterally extending troughs term the bottom, suction means, an air duct extending from the top cit said compartment to the suction means, and a valve controlling passage oi? air to said air duct.

l. in a wheat cleaner, a reciprocating, horizontally disposed foraminous separator, a plurality of transversely extending chutes mounted in spaced relation above the sepa rater, laterally disposed troughs mounted. in connection with the separator and into which the chutes discharge, means for giving a common reciprocating motion to the troughs, chutes and separator, a compartment of which the separator and the later ally extending troughs form the bottom, suction means, an air duct extending from the top of said compartment to the suction means, a valve controlling passage or": air to said air duct, and a deflector mounted below the inlet of the air duct in spaced relation thereto.

5. in a wheat cleaning mechanism, laterally disi iosed troughs mounted for reciprocating motion, a plurality of transversely extending chutes downwardly inclined from a medial plane into said troughs, a ioraminous separator operatively supported upon said troughs and below said chutes, means for discharging wheat onto one end of the sepa rator, means at the other end of the separator whereby the wheat may be discharged, a casing formed to provide a plurality of compartments above the separator, the chutes and trougl'is traversing said compart ments, air suction means, and a plurality of ducts leading from the air suction means into the upper ends of the several compartments, each duct extending transversely across the corresponding compartment and having a cross sectional diameter small relative to the cross sectional area of the compartment.

6. ln a wheat cleaner, a supporting frame having side and end. walls, a series oi tran verse partitions extending across the sup porting frame forming compartlnents closed at the top and open at the bottom, aflon-- gitudinally reciprocating frame disposed immediately below the lower ends of said partitions, laterally dispos .l, lon it-iulinally extending troughs carried upon said reci1iu'o--- eating "frame, a series oi transversely extend" ing chutes carried upon said troughs and discharging thereinto, said chutes being laterally inclined downward to the troughs and being spaced. from each other, a :toraminous separator mounted between said troughs and below the chutes, means for discharging onto one end. of separator, means at the other end of the separator Wiiereny may he discharged. therei f. n1, strips oil ii-exihle material connecting; troughs to the sides of the casing the strips of flexible material depending from the partitions and extending to the chutes, a series of wind ducts disposed above the compartments, each opening into one of said compartments at one end. a suction fan including a casing to which the other ends of the air ducts are operatively connected, a conveyor disposed below "he whole length of the separator and receiving grain dischargei through the bottom thereof, and means for reciprocating the separator, the troughs and chutes.

'7. In a wheat cleaner, a longitudinally reciprocatahlc, flexibly supported separator having a ioraininous top and bottom and divided into a plurality o relatively small. compartments lay transver e and lonaitudL ally extending tition the partitions extending downer d {E0111 the top of the separator but being spaced 1n the bottom hast oi air thereo means for causii to pass upward through the sepa ator. means for reciprocating the separator and means for leveling the separator.

8. In a wheat cleaner a supporting frame. a longitudinally reciproeatahle, foraininous separator mounted upon the frame, a wind trunk tending upward at the llnwrard. cud oi the nne and into the lower poi-lion ol rhieh the separator (.llfiifllill'gifl, a suction ran iiiicluding a housing .iuto which the up per end oi? the trunk opens :i deflector e.\ tending at an angle across the wind trunk above the point or discharge oil? the scpa rater, and chutes rearward of said deflector and traversing the wind trunk into which the deflected matter is discharged.

9. In a wheat cleaner. a supportinn frame. a longitudinally reciprocatehie separator. a vertical. wind trunk forming the forward end of the flilillO and into the lower porlion olf which the scparatm' discharges. means connected to the upper portion ol the wind trunk or drawing air upward through the wind trunk, downwardly and laterally in clined chutes disguised within the wind trunk above the point oil? disi'rharge of the separator, and. a member o: -:cillatahly mounted within the wind trunk and traversing the 531119, and extending transversely thereof and adapted to deflect upwardly nioringr screenings into said receiving chutes and to corn stitute a valve controlling the passage ol' air upward through the lower portion ol the wind trunlr.

In testimony wherco' l hereunto :illix my si 5111a ture.

JOHN LANDRTCHTN.llGll. 

